Osun Govt Accuses Police of Targeting Officials, Alleges Raid on SSG’s Residence

The Osun State Government has accused the Nigeria Police Force of carrying out what it described as coordinated raids on the homes of senior government officials, alleging that the actions were politically motivated and capable of undermining the credibility of the forthcoming governorship election.

The allegations were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, who claimed that operatives of the Osun State Police Command recently stormed the residence of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) without a valid search warrant.

According to Alimi, the operation was led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, while members of the SSG’s family were reportedly taken to undisclosed locations.

He said the incident followed similar raids on the residences of about six commissioners and other senior government officials.

The commissioner alleged that the SSG was attending an election stakeholders’ forum organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) when security operatives carried out the operation, while political ward officials were holding a meeting within the premises.

Alimi further claimed that police operatives had earlier raided the residence of the Commissioner for Energy in Ikire, alleging that the building was searched and property damaged during the exercise.

He also alleged that several other commissioners had reported surveillance around their homes, while some residences had been searched despite no evidence of wrongdoing.

The state government further claimed that several members of the Accord Party had been arrested and were being held at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Osun State Police Command without being granted bail.

Describing the development as an assault on democratic governance, Alimi accused the police of acting in a partisan manner ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

“These raids on the SSG and our commissioners are an aggravated assault on the government and people of Osun State. This campaign of repression constitutes a grave danger to democracy,” he said.

He further alleged that the conduct of the police suggested bias in favour of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that such actions could threaten the conduct of a free, fair and credible election in the state.

The commissioner called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, the National Security Adviser, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and traditional rulers in the state to intervene and prevent further escalation.

Alimi said Governor Ademola Adeleke had consistently appealed to residents to remain peaceful and refrain from taking the law into their own hands despite the rising political tension.

“The situation is reaching a boiling point. We must save our democracy from lawless elements within the Nigerian Police,” he stated.

As of the time of filing this report, the Osun State Police Command had not issued an official response to the allegations made by the state government.